总
zǒng
(bound form) general; overall
to sum up; in every case; always; invariably; anyway; after all; eventually; sooner or later; surely; (after a person's name) abbr. for 總經理|总经理[zong3 jing1 li3] or 總編|总编[zong3 bian1] etc
Gathered voices (丷口) + heart (心) = overall, always
Picture someone gathering all voices (丷 as converging lines, 口 as mouth) and holding them at the center of the mind (心) — that is the essence of summing everything up. The heart beneath suggests this wholeness is felt and internalized, not just counted.
他总是忘记带钥匙。
tā zǒng shì wàng jì dài yào shi。
he always forgets to bring his keys.
不管多难，你总会找到办法的。
bù guǎn duō nán，nǐ zǒng huì zhǎo dào bàn fǎ de。
no matter how hard it is, you will surely find a way.
Words with 总
总务
zǒng wù
general matters
总论
zǒng lùn
(often used in book or chapter titles) general introduction; overview
总产量
zǒng chǎn liàng
total output
总统府
zǒng tǒng fǔ
presidential palace
总长
zǒng zhǎng
name used for cabinet ministers between 1912-1927, superseded by 部長|部长[bu4 zhang3]
总理
zǒng lǐ
premier
林林总总
lín lín zǒng zǒng
in great abundance
总值
zǒng zhí
total value
通用串行总线
tōng yòng chuàn xíng zǒng xiàn
(computing) Universal Serial Bus; USB
运营总监
yùn yíng zǒng jiān
chief operating officer (COO)
金刚总持
jīn gāng zǒng chí
Vajradhara
关贸总协定
guān mào zǒng xié dìng
GATT, the 1995 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade